Katie Sciandra just wanted to fit in.
Her freshman year at Towson was fine, but it wasn’t the right fit. Enter coach Allison Kwolek and her Richmond Spiders.
Two years, two program records and an Atlantic 10 championship later, the transition can be deemed a success. And there’s more to come.
“It’s nerve-racking to be at a new school,” Sciandra said. “You’re essentially signing up for a second freshman year.”
Now, entering her senior year, Sciandra can reflect on that transitional time of her life as well as last year’s success. The first-team All-Atlantic 10 standout scored a program-record 67 times last season, including an astonishing nine goals against crosstown rival VCU in March. None of that is possible without that fateful decision going into sophomore year.
“Freshman year as a Division I athlete is a gut check for anyone,” Sciandra said. “It’s a demanding schedule, I think everyone has a really tough time. For me, I felt a little discorded in my school and lacrosse life.”
Even though Sciandra was entertaining the idea of transferring in 2016, she was aware of the social pressures related to that. Nevertheless, putting things in perspective eased those fears.
“Transferring is not quitting your team,” Sciandra said. “You’re finding your home.”
And Richmond is home.
“Transferring can be hard,” Kwolek said. “It’s tough coming into a program and being new again. It can be a challenge for anyone. [Katie] quickly adapted. When she came on the field, she was coachable, she was adaptable.”
More importantly, Sciandra’s fit extended beyond the field. The pre-med student has taken advantage of the academic rigors that Richmond provides its students.
“Academically, she’s taking really tough classes,” Kwolek said. “She’s being maximized in every area of Richmond.”
Sciandra played a supporting role in the team’s 2017 A-10 runner-up showing as a sophomore defender by appearing in 18 games. She supplied 11 goals and nabbed nine ground balls and caused nine turnovers. In the end, the Spiders fell short to Massachusetts for a fourth straight year in the A-10 championship game.
Then there was the breakout year of 2018, which came because of Sciandra’s adaptability. A pair of projected scorers were due to miss extended periods of time, so Kwolek moved the Vienna, Virginia, native to the attack.
Sciandra was prolific on 8-meter attempts, scoring an NCAA-best 1.89 goals per game. In the nine-goal game against VCU, Sciandra was a perfect 7-for-7 on free-position attempts.
Twice Sciandra netted seven goals, including her first NCAA tournament game against Northwestern, which took place on her first college field: Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. It was a 24-18 loss, but a respectable effort from the Spiders and Sciandra.
“I wasn’t sure I would end up on that field again,” she said. “To be able to emerge on that field as A-10 champions with this team that I love. It was a triumphant feeling for me. To have played so well against Northwestern kind of affirmed that I ended up in the right place. I was back at Towson and there were no regrets in my mind.”
In 2019, Sciandra and her fellow Spiders have a new task to accomplish: defending a championship. Richmond hasn’t successfully defended an A-10 title since 2007, when it completed a three-peat. One has to wonder if Richmond might be able to dominate the A-10 as Massachusetts has since 2010.
“Things are great,” Sciandra said. “We obviously came off a great season and we’re focused on keeping that momentum going.”
From a coach’s perspective, reinvigorating a team that just reached the precipice can be challenging. Kwolek understands what UMass did by winning nine straight titles is special and rare, but all that her team can control is this season.
“We are going to get in trouble if we think ahead,” Kwolek said. “We need to remain super diligent to remember how to win and how hard it was to get there. We can’t lose sight of little things: 50/50 balls, caused turnovers, draws. We need to continue to do that and do that better and lead the program forward.”
That message is not lost on a senior like Sciandra, who has another chance for glory.
“We are focused on keeping that momentum going,” Sciandra said. “We have a strong season ahead of us and a target on our backs, which is even more motivation to keep working this fall.”
Fall Focus
Atlantic 10
The Atlantic 10 appears to be a two-horse race with defending champs Richmond trying to supplant perennial favorite Massachusetts once again. Saint Joseph’s will try to break into the top two, while the trio of George Mason, Davidson and VCU hold the middle of the pack. Teams are listed in order of their regular-season finish.
Massachusetts
8-1 Atlantic 10, 14-5 Overall
The top two scorers from last year, All-American Holly Turner (93 points in 2018) and Hannah Burnett (78), have graduated. Expect UMass to reload as Kaitlyn Terasi (69), Kiley Anderson (55) and Stephanie Croke (39) become the leaders on the attacking end.
Richmond
8-1 Atlantic 10, 16-4 Overall
Richmond loses its 97-point scorer from a year ago (Kim Egizi), but Marissa Brown (79) and Katie Sciandra (73) are back to lead the Spiders. Richmond will have to replace half its defensive corps as well, which may be its greatest challenge.
Saint Joseph's
7-2 Atlantic 10, 12-7 Overall
The Hawks have steadily improved each season under U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Famer Alex Kahoe, which also includes an upgrade in non-conference schedule against four NCAA teams. Saint Joseph’s returns its top 10 scorers from a year ago led first-team All-Atlantic 10 attacker Rebecca Lane (36g, 21a in 2018).
Davidson
5-4 Atlantic 10, 11-8 Overall
Last year’s top scorer Christine Molinari (31g, 20a) has graduated, but Davidson’s depth sees the next eight point scorers return, led by Jordan Wood (44g, 6a). The biggest hole to fill will be in net as Delaney Guhman will be asked to take over for Rose Woolson (10-6 in 2018).
VCU
5-4 Atlantic 10, 7-11 Overall
The Rams made waves in April by beating UMass, ending the Minutewomen’s 60-game win streak over A-10 teams. The team had letdowns in the following two games, but reached the A-10 Tournament for the first time in program history. Molly Barkcikowski (36g, 24a) will be asked to lead the offense.
George Mason
5-4 Atlantic 10, 11-7 Overall
George Mason has won 10 or more games in the past four seasons. The Patriots are usually a top-four team in the A-10 and having an offensive duo of Corinne Wessels (39g, 32a) and Erin Donoghue (44g, 7a) will aid in that quest. Mason’s equalizer to some of the A-10’s potent offenses is goalkeeper Melissa Semkiew, who was second-team All-Atlantic 10 as a freshman in 2017, but had better numbers as a sophomore in 2018.
La Salle
3-6 Atlantic 10, 7-10 Overall
La Salle will have a new look this season as Katie Rhodes, previously the head coach at Colgate, will patrol the sidelines for the Explorers. Rhodes has a young roster to work with featuring sophomore Bridget Ruskey (46 goals in 2018). La Salle is searching for its first winning season since 2014.
George Washington
2-7 Atlantic 10, 9-8 Overall
George Washington’s record belies how close it was to turning in a winning A-10 season as five of its seven losses were by three or fewer goals. GW’s two 40-goal scorers have moved on and the team will rely on Katie Quinn (28g) and Ioanna Mantzouratos (23g) to carry the load.
Duquesne
2-7 Atlantic 10, 4-12 Overall
Duquesne is on its third head coach in four years as Corinne Desrosiers was named to the post in July. The Dukes are another young squad with potential and the vast majority of its offense returning in 2019. Junior Maddie Hart will likely be the key cog as she was among the top three on her team in goals (26), points (34), ground balls (29), caused turnovers (18) and draw controls (80).
St. Bonaventure
0-9 Atlantic 10, 0-17 Overall
The Bonnies are in the process of rebuilding following a winless season. SBU loses its top assist maker and its two goalies from last season, while returning its leading scorer (Rylee Arnold, 26 goals) and seven other starters.